Welcome to our week long third blogoversary party. We certainly have a lot to celebrate! If you missed the abundant food and wonderful waitstaff on Monday, you might want to check it out. Also, don't forget to leave a comment for our big giveaway this week. As part of our celebration, we're redecorating. Here's our new fiction look.
When the ladies of Inkwell Inspirations started on this
journey three years ago, only one of our Inkies who still remains with us, Jen
AlLee, was published, and only a small handful of us had agents. Our main goals
were to find a voice in the blogosphere, to support one another in our writing
endeavors, and to spur each other toward publication. And how far we've come!!!
Here are a list of our accomplishments this year.
Anita Mae Draper landed her first agent. Yay, Anita! Mary Keeley of Books & Such, which qualifies Anita to be called a Bookie. This is in addition to her many contest finals over the years.
After seeing her first novella, Gold, Frankincense, and Murder published in December 2011, Barbara Early began working as an editor for Pelican Book Group (White Rose, Harbourlight, Watershed). In May she signed with literary agent Kim Lionetti of BookEnds Literary. Negotiations for a cozy mystery series are in the works--expect an announcement very soon.
CJ Chase received a contract for her second Love Inspired Historical Novel, The Reluctant Earl, to release in February 5th 2013.
A new three books series of English cozy mysteries is in the works for DeAnna Julie Dodson under the pen name Julianna Deering. Look for The Drew Farthering Mysteries coming from Bethany beginning summer 2013. Her Annie's Attic novels, The Diary in the Attic and The Legacy in the Attic, are also due out in spring and summer 2013.
Anita Mae Draper landed her first agent. Yay, Anita! Mary Keeley of Books & Such, which qualifies Anita to be called a Bookie. This is in addition to her many contest finals over the years.
After seeing her first novella, Gold, Frankincense, and Murder published in December 2011, Barbara Early began working as an editor for Pelican Book Group (White Rose, Harbourlight, Watershed). In May she signed with literary agent Kim Lionetti of BookEnds Literary. Negotiations for a cozy mystery series are in the works--expect an announcement very soon.
CJ Chase received a contract for her second Love Inspired Historical Novel, The Reluctant Earl, to release in February 5th 2013.
A new three books series of English cozy mysteries is in the works for DeAnna Julie Dodson under the pen name Julianna Deering. Look for The Drew Farthering Mysteries coming from Bethany beginning summer 2013. Her Annie's Attic novels, The Diary in the Attic and The Legacy in the Attic, are also due out in spring and summer 2013.
Debra E. Marvin ranked second place (she's quite comfortable there) in the 2012 Daphne contest. Way to go, Deb!
Dina Sleiman's sophomore novel, Love in Three-Quarter Time, will be the launch title for the new Zondervan First Imprint. Releasing October 23rd! She also received runner up in the first novel category of the 2012 Selah Awards for Dance of the Dandelion.
We all had the pleasure of enjoying Gina Wellborn's first published offering when her novella, "Sugarplum Hearts," a part of Barbour's Highland Crossings, released in February of this year. Her "All Ye Faithful" will be available as part of A Cascades Christmas, this month, and she has more contracted novellas on the horizon.
Jennifer AlLee's awesome women's fiction The Mother Road came out in April with Abingdon, and A Wild Goose Chase Christmas will be available on November 1st. She's very excited to be working on her first historical series with her buddy, the amazing Lisa Richardson.
Lisa Karon Richardson's debut novella will release October 1st through Barbour. Look for "Impressed by Love" in Colonial Courtships. Her first novel, The Magistrate's Folly, also with Barbour will come out in January. And another novella, "Midnight Clear" will be in the Mistletoe Memories anthology coming September 1, 2013. Lisa's also co-authoring the Amazing Love series with Jen AlLee. The first in the series, Eureka! will also be coming in 2013.
For Niki Turner, this has been a journalistic sort of season. She's been working for local papers in Colorado and has turned out lots of published articles.
Susanne Dietze had a banner year. In addition to semi-finaling in the Genesis contest, finaling in the Gotcha, and winning the Pheonix Rattler, she also signed with agent Tamela Hancock Murray of the Steve Laube Agency.
And last but most certainly not least, Susan Diane Johnson received her first contract. Her debut novel, No Substitute releases November 30th with Pelican Book Group.
Wow!!! Anyone else impressed. Keep up the good work, Inkies!!! Here's to another great year to come.
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To celebrate our Blog-o-versary,
we are giving away five prizes!
we are giving away five prizes!
Giveaways include:
1. Winner's choice of any one Inky Ebook available on Amazon for Kindle
2. Winner's choice of one of these three: Letters in the Attic, A Key in the Attic, or In Honor Bound by DeAnna Julie Dodson
3. A $10.00 Starbucks gift card to one winner
4. A $10.00 Amazon gift card to one winner.
5. A copy of Cascades Christmas, Gina Welborn's newest release
That's FIVE winners!
Please remember - you can't win if you don't leave your email address.
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Which of the Inky novels or novellas have you enjoyed? Which ones are you looking forward to reading?
I have probably re-read our accomplishment list three times. No wonder I have trouble keeping up with everything!
ReplyDeleteThank you so much Dina for putting this together!
Inkies are rocking!
Please remember to leave a comment and your email address if you want to be in the drawing!
I'm looking forward to reading all the Inky releases, in particular Jen's Wild Goose Chase Christmas because that's one I didn't do any degree of critiquing on so the story will be utterly fresh to me.
ReplyDeleteCongratulations to each of you! Wow! You have made tremendous strides over the past three years. I love seeing what each of you have done and what you're working on. Great job!
ReplyDeleteI'm a big fan of Seekerville but I long ago gave up trying to keep up with the new releases of all those incredible authors!
ReplyDeleteI can see this happening here when we are all "going great guns" Now, that is both a crazy idiom and an optimistic outlook, don't you think?
Okay back to writing the next great American Novel. ha ha.
As a mystery lover - gory or cozy, I am drooling with anticipation for the Drew Farthering series.
This is so cool to see all these accomplishments together in one place. God is good!
ReplyDeleteWen is the third Ravensmoore coming , Jilian? And what's the title? I packed up all my unread trade paperbacks this summer and read only on my kindle while I was living out of a suitcase. Guess what I grabbed first when I moved back home this weekend?
ReplyDeleteLady Snoop in sitting next to me right now!
oh, by the way... the tiniest grandchild was playing piano with my keyboard and broke my H key. Can you tell? "Wen" s/b When. I have to hit the H repeatedly to get it to work. oh well.
ReplyDeletewho knew those tiny fingers could hit with such force.
Hey Deb,
ReplyDeleteSo fun to hear that Lady Snoop is close at hand. Be careful though, she may pull you into one of her adventures and that could be problematic. :)
Mystery of the Heart releases on January 8th, three days before my birthday. This is the youngest sister's story, Mercy. She will not disappoint. For the past 2 years I do a give away on my blog for my birthday. Look out 2013!
By the bye, I can't get the video you have posted to play. I really want to see it.
Blessings on your Blogoversary!
Jill
Hi Deb. It really is exciting, isn't it. A few Inkies are really on fire and hard to keep up with these days.
ReplyDeleteGina, like you I've gotten a sneak peek at a bunch of these including two of Lisa's and Suzie's. But now that so many of us are getting contracts based on proposals only, I think we're going to be in for a lot more surprises.
ReplyDeleteJill, so nice to have you here celebrating with us. We can all say we knew you when, and you've accomplished so much as well. Congrats!
ReplyDeleteNiki, it's almost a little overwhelming :)
ReplyDeleteWahoo! What a list of accomplishments! Very, very exciting. God is good.
ReplyDeleteWell most of the books will be pretty fresh to me. I read Wild Goose Chase Christmas and I LOVE it.
I can't wait to hold all these books in my hands!
Susie, it's so much fun to be a part of all this :)
ReplyDeleteGina's is the only one I've read (i won it in a super fantabulous package i'm STILL enjoying - thanks Gina!). It was awesome.
ReplyDeleteI'm behind on a lot of reading though... a certain toddler keeps telling me "Momma, book DOWN... you play with me!" *sigh*
It is cool to see how the Lord is blessing you all.
Oh yes, this is exciting. I also have a hard time keeping track of everyone's accomplishments when they come in one-by-one, but this looks spectacular. What progress!
ReplyDeleteThank you, Dina, for assembling the list - makes for a good prayer list, too.
What's on the video? I can't get it to play, either. :(
Congrats everyone.
Yipes, you can always tell when I've been working on my church website, eh. I'm a bit late though as today's blog has the video and pics of June's Sunday School picnic. At least they'll be up before Canadian Thanksgiving.
ReplyDeleteYeah, no video that I'm aware of. And prayers are a good idea.
ReplyDeleteDeb, I could see how novellas could be handy with a little one.
ReplyDeleteLadies, you've been very busy! Congratulations to you all! I've read some of your books and look forward to reading more of them!
ReplyDeleteelaineking1 at hotmail dot come
Oh, thanks, Deb! Rules of Murder (the VERY FIRST Drew Farthering Mystery) should be out next summer. The wait is killing me already and I haven't even seen any suggested cover ideas. Homina!
ReplyDeleteAnd I'm SO excited to see all the things my Inky sisters are up to these days. It's amazing how things have picked up in the last few months.
We are blessed!
I knew we'd been celebrating an awful lot of good news lately. It's really impressive to see it all summed up like that. The year of the Inky.
ReplyDeleteThat makes us happy to hear, Elaine :)
ReplyDeleteDeAnna, is the first one all written and turned in yet?
ReplyDeleteThe year of the Inky! Love that, Barb.
ReplyDeleteThanks for compiling the list, Dina. We look more impressive on paper! I love all you inkies, and so appreciate our readers. My life would be poorer without the Inkwell.
ReplyDeleteHey, we look pretty impressive in person too ;)
ReplyDeleteDina-
ReplyDeleteThe first AND second books have been done since last fall! That's why the wait is killing me!
But I'm eager to get Book Three done now. It's got a Gilbert and Sullivan theme! :D
That was the best thing about my Zondervan First deal. That book is coming out fast, although it won't be in bookstores unless they do another edition later.
ReplyDeleteThanks DebH, Elaine, and Jilly. Congratulations everyone! It's been an exciting year for sure! Dina thank you for putting this together.
ReplyDeleteYou're very welcome, Suzie. I enjoyed it.
ReplyDeleteOK, this is my first time on this blog, and I'm really liking what I see! I met Dina at a writer's conference in Philly last month. I would love to enter your Blogoversary prize drawing. Please enter me (am I supposed to type my email address here in sneaky fashion?) It's whit dot trumbull AT gmaildotcom (close up the spaces and type the symbols for the words dot and AT) Was that sneaky enough? : )
ReplyDeleteWelcome to the Inkwell, Whit, and you are in the drawing.
ReplyDeleteLast year, Barb and I went to the Philly conference as well and hung out with Dina when she wasn't busy with appointments and we weren't in workshops. It was a nice conference and I appreciated the emphasis on service. I think it was because of the large number of non-fiction writers there.
Thank you for stopping in and commenting!
Hi Whit! Enjoyed meeting you in Philly :) It's nice to see you here. It's a great little community.
ReplyDelete